Never Let Me Go
by Deadalive15
Summary: I believe that one of the most intimate scenes a couple can have onscreen is a slow dance. Hotch/Emily


Disclaimer: If I owned Criminal Minds, AJ and Paget would be sticking around for the full number of episodes next season.

Hey guys. So, this is my first Criminal Minds fic, though you might know me from the House or Psych fandoms. Anyway, one of my favorite scenes for a couple to have is a slow dance, and excuse me for saying that I don't think Hotch and Emily are ever going to get one :( , so I've written one of my own. Inspired by the song mentioned in the story and alluded to in the title.

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Never Let Me Go

The soft evening breeze was refreshing in comparison to the warm, crowded hall. Emily shuddered as a gust of wind unexpectedly brushed against the back of her neck, making her hairs stand on end. Normally she wouldn't have even felt the breeze, but with her long, brown hair twisted into a knot high in the back of her head, her neck was unusually exposed. Then again, there was nothing normal about tonight.

Emily had been to the FBI's annual anniversary ball before, every years since she got her job at the BAU, in fact, but this year she was wearing a new dress and her hair and makeup had taken the better part of the afternoon. She'd felt like she was seventeen again, preparing for the senior prom. Upon seeing her, JJ, in the same sleek, blue-green dress she'd worn two years ago, had asked who exactly she was trying to impress. Emily had brushed it off with a laugh, a joke, as JJ had intended it.

The truth of the matter was, in her gold, strapless dress and black pearl jewelry, Emily was not exactly overdressed, but she had definitely put more thought into her attire than the other agents, even JJ, who normally out-dressed the rest of the team by a long shot, who's only accessories for the night consisted of silver hoop earrings and the old necklace she always wore.

Now Emily watched JJ and Reid, wearing a tux with a silver vest and tie that Morgan had probably helped him pick out, revolve slowly around the dance floor while Will talked to some agents by the refreshment table. She watched them laugh through the wall of paned glass and propped-open double doors before turning her back to the party.

At first Emily had questioned why the FBI had rented a building so far away, nearly half and hour, when there were so many closer places. Now, standing out on the stone patio looking out on a lake that reflected the full moon from it's glassy surface, she understood completely.

"Prentiss?" Emily was torn from her thoughts by the sound of his voice.

"Hotch," she stated in surprise. She hadn't seen him hear before. Frankly, she'd wondered if he would even show up. He usually didn't. In fact, the last time Emily remembered seeing him at an annual ball was during her first year at the BAU, before the divorce. He'd had Haley with him. He was here tonight though, wearing a black tux with a red vest and tie. She'd always loved him in red.

"It's a nice night," he commented, joining her where she was leaning over the wall, looking down into the lake.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Cool for July."

"And there's not even any humidity," he added.

"Thank goodness," Emily replied, gesturing to her hair. "This took me long enough. I'd be angry if the weather ruined it."

"Well, it looks beautiful," Hotch returned.

"Thank you," she answered quietly, staring back out over the lake. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Would you like to dance?" he finally broke the silence. "This is a good song."

Emily hadn't noticed the music, but now her attention turned to the beginning bars of The Fray's "Never Say Never." "Sure," she answers hesitantly, not because she didn't want to, but because he was her boss and because he just lost his ex-wife. He placed his hands on her waist and she rested hers on his shoulders and they began to revolve slowly, mirroring the couples on the other side of the doorway.

In previous years, Emily had danced with Reid and Morgan, and she'd even danced with Will last year, but she'd never danced with Hotch before, mostly because the one other year he showed up they hadn't known each other very well, and he'd still considered her a potential liability. She had to admit, it was nice. It wasn't like dancing with Reid, who always managed to step on all ten of her toes, or Morgan, with whom she could rarely get through an entire song before they were interrupted by some other woman. Hotch was a good dancer, and even though they were only separated from the other guests by a wall of paned glass and an open doorway, their location felt secluded.

As the melody erupted into a guitar solo, Emily sighed, "This is my favorite part." Hotch merely smiled, and Emily took this as an invitation to pull herself closer, winding her arms around his neck. It was a gesture that easily could have been rationalized as a result of a chilling gust of across her bare shoulders, but Emily and Hotch both knew that it was not, and, after a moment, when Emily felt Hotch's hands slide across her back to return the embrace, she allowed herself to relax against him.

She peered over Hotch's shoulder and into the hall, where JJ was dancing with Will again and Reid was now trying to avoid stepping on Garcia's feet. JJ glanced through the glass and smiled at Emily, who smiled nodded back before momentarily burying her face in Hotch's jacket as the sound wound down. She sighed and began to pull away, drawing it out a little longer then necessary.

Hotch nodded and stepped back. "I got some eye shadow on your jacket," Emily said, moving to brush the few stray gold sparkles off his shoulder.

"It's okay," Hotch stopped her. "I think it goes with the red." The glint in his eye mirrors the glitter she left on his jacket. She smiled, and nodded, and looked away.

"Thanks for the dance," she said quietly, because even though it sounded stupid even to her, she wasn't sure what else to say.

Hotch nodded, "Likewise." He paused. "Well, until next year, I suppose," he said, nodding again.

He began to walk back inside and she called, "Hotch wait," before she had a chance to even consider what she was going to say next. He stopped and turned over his shoulder, shooting her a questioning look.

"Do you," Emily took a deep breath. "Do you want to dance some more?" She hated that her nervousness was detectable in her voice.

He nodded, the begins of a rare smile teasing his lips. "Sure," he replied and he held out his arm for her to take. They stepped back into the hall and wordlessly, seamlessly, they stepped back into each other arms to begin slowly spinning amidst the other couples, stealing glances at each other time and time again. _Younger now than we were before._

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So, hopefully you liked it. I'm not such a huge fan of the last paragraph myself. Anyway, let me know in the reviews. Don't be afraid to criticize. Like I said, I've written for other fandoms before. I can take it. ;)


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